1 66 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



The story of the passing of the great suit is known to all the old 

 students of the university. 



It was brought to trial in San Francisco in the United States Dis- 

 trict Court, and the university side of the question had the strong sup- 

 port of the great jurist, John Garber. 



The decision of Judge Eoss was against the claim of the govern- 

 ment. It was appealed and came before Judges Morrow, Gilbert and 

 Hawley, who again found no merit in the government contention. It 

 was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, and here our 

 case seemed hopeless. The Supreme Court moves slowly, and our life- 

 blood was ebbing fast. It takes money to run a university, and our 

 money was almost gone. To delay the matter was to destroy us, and 

 no one but ourselves had any interest in pushing along the decision. 



Finally Mrs. Stanford went to Washington to appeal to President 

 Cleveland. She told him our story, and beseeched him to use his in- 

 fluence for a speedy settlement. Once for all, let us know the future 

 and we will stand by it. At last, President Cleveland saw his duty, 

 and through his influence the Stanford case was placed on the calendar 

 of the United States Supreme Court for speedy trial. Joseph Choate, 

 whose name every Stanford man should hold in grateful memory, 

 supplemented the work of John Garber. The case came to trial, and 

 by a unanimous decision, the work of Justice Harlan, Stanford Uni- 

 versity was again free ! 



The boys celebrated the victory as Stanford boys can. The United 

 States Postoffice on the campus, a wooden shack now removed, was 

 painted cardinal red, to its great improvement in appearance, and once 

 for all and forever the future of the university was assured. 



This was the end of the dark days, but not of the days that were 

 difficult. There were still eight millions of dollars to be paid. There 

 was still the uncertainty as to whether Mrs. Stanford could survive 

 to pay it, and the estate must come into her hands before she could give 

 it to the university. She made many attempts to facilitate this trans- 

 fer. At one time, we have the pathetic figure of the good woman going 

 to the Queen's Jubilee in London, with all her own possessions, half a 

 million of dollars worth of jewels, in a suit case carried in her hand. 

 She hoped to sell these to advantage, when all the world was gathered 

 in London. But the market was not good, and three fourths of them 

 she brought back to California again. 



And this seems the appropriate place for the story of the jewel 

 fund. It is told in an address made at the foundation of the Library 

 Building, and again and finally in a resolution of the Board of Trustees. 

 On May 15, 1905, I said : 



There was once a man — a real man, vigorous, wealthy and powerful. He 

 loved his wife greatly, for she, wise, loyal, devoted, was worthy of such love. 

 And because among all the crystals in all the world the diamond is the hardest 



